This invention relates to a method and tool for inserting an intraocular lens in an anterior chamber of an eye. More particularly, this invention relates to a tool having a planar member with a pair of longitudinally elongated channels for receiving the ends of haptics of an intraocular lens for guiding the lens into position in an eye. More particularly, this invention relates to such a tool having openings therein for determining whether a selected intraocular lens is an appropriate size for a subject eye. Still more particularly, this invention relates to a method for inserting an intraocular lens in an anterior chamber of the eye by inserting a tool into an incision in the eye, determining that the eye is appropriately sized to receive a given lens, inserting the given lens in channels in the tool, and moving the lens along the channels into position in the eye, and then withdrawing the tool from the incision while retaining the lens in the eye.
A number of surgical procedures are known for extracting an impaired lens, such as a cataractous lens of a human eye, removing the natural lens, and implanting an artificial lens within the eye. As is well known, an implant must be located either in the anterior chamber of the eye or in its posterior chamber. In such procedures, typically an incision is made in the eye, the affected impaired lens removed through the incision, and the implantable lens is inserted through the incision, and positioned within the eye so that it may be fixed therein, such as by suturing the lens or a haptic for the lens.
A variety of lens structures are known to facilitate fixing the lens within the eye by suturing at a location remote from a fixed lens position or by the use of haptic structures, such as loops, to stabilize a centralized optical zone of the lens once it is implanted. U.S. Pat. No. 4,251,887 discloses an example of a posterior chamber capsular lens implant and a method for implantation of the lens by the use of a tool in the form of a plastic sheet in the shape of a Sheet's Glide. A plastic sleeve is also shown having a diameter sufficient to retain the lens implant and rounded at one end. The sleeve is loaded with a lens implant immediately after extracapsular cataract extraction and the sleeve containing the lens implant is introduced, rounded end first, into the eye between preplaced sutures. The plastic sleeve is then withdrawn from the eye while leaving the lens implant in place in the eye for suturing.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,349,027 is another example of a tool for implanting an intraocular lens in the form of a guide having an elongated narrow plate with each edge rolled upwardly and inwardly to form flanges.
It has remained a problem in the art, however, to provide a simple and convenient tool for retaining an intraocular lens with the tool for ready insertion into an anterior chamber of an eye. An associated difficulty occurs in matching a given IOL size with the physical size of an eye undergoing lens replacement. A physician is thus interested in determining readily and easily whether an eye of a patient is of sufficient size to receive a pre-selected IOL having a given size.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide an insertion tool for assisting in the insertion of an intraocular lens in an anterior chamber of an eye.
It is another object of this invention to provide such a tool having mutually opposing channels structurally adapted to receive the ends of haptics of a particular style of intraocular lens having suitable transportable haptics for ready insertion of the implantable lens in an eye.
It is another object of this invention to provide such a tool with a blunted distal end for insertion through an incision at a location where the cornea meets the sclera and having indicia in the form of two through-holes positioned at pre-determined distances from the distal end of the tool to represent the operable compression range of the haptics on the intraocular lens so that the surgeon can determine that the eye is of a sufficient size to receive a pre-selected IOL by viewing the iris through a distal through-hole and the sclera through a proximal through-hole.
It is still another object of this invention to provide a method for inserting an intraocular lens into an eye by inserting a tool into an incision in an eye, inserting an intraocular lens in channels of a tool, moving the intraocular lens along the channels into position in the eye, retaining the lens in place in the eye while withdrawing the tool from the incision, and positioning the proximal haptic of the lens within the scleral spur within the eye.
It is still another object of this invention to provide in connection with such a procedure a readily observable method for determining that an eye size is appropriate for receiving a given lens through the use of structural features of the tool.
These and other objects will become apparent from the following written description of the invention.